“Now a certain religious scholar overheard them debating. When he saw how beautifully Jesus answered all their questions, he posed one of his own, and asked him, “Teacher, which commandment is the greatest of all?” Jesus answered him, “The most important of all the commandments is this: ‘The Lord Yahweh, our God, is one!’ You are to love the Lord Yahweh, your God, with a passionate heart, from the depths of your soul, with your every thought, and with all your strength. This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.” The religious scholar replied, “Yes, that’s true, Teacher. You spoke beautifully when you said that God is one, and there is no one else besides him. And there is something more important to God than all the sacrifices and burnt offerings: it’s the commandment to constantly love God with every passion of your heart, with your every thought, and with all your strength—and to love your neighbor in the same way as you love yourself.” When Jesus noticed how thoughtfully and sincerely the man answered, he said to him, “You’re not far from the reality of God’s kingdom.” After that, no one dared to question him again.”
Reading Jesus’s own words in this passage reminds us that our relationship with the God and our cultivation of a deep and consuming love for Him is the most important thing to Him. Loving God and pursuing God purifies our hearts, our motives and our behavior. Everything we are, everything we become, everything we do should flow from our all-consuming love for the Lord. I was just dwelling on that this morning and thinking about the difference that would make in all of my interactions with people and the circumstances I face. How different would my life and experiences be if my every move came from an overflow of our deep, passionate love for God? Let this be a challenge to us all today, to zealously pursue the Lord and loving Him.
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